The Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network, in partnership with The Institute of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Humans and Nature, invites you to join us for a discussion about how justice is a critical component in how spaces are created, maintained, and engaged with.

What kinds of cultural values are expressed in our built environments?

A sidewalk, a street, a parking lot, a building—these are not simple objects or empty containers. They speak without words, giving clues about what is valued and not valued in those places, what function they are intended to serve, who is and who isn’t expected to interact with them. The way spaces are configured can bring people together, creating a place of engagement and participation; spaces can also push people apart, create physical dangers for pedestrians and cyclists, and degrade social interactions.

The event will conclude with a full group discussion about implications for community action in Chicago. What concrete steps can we take to make Chicago spaces more just? What can we do separately and together? Should we continue the conversation?

Please bring yourself and your ideas for making Chicago’s spaces more just to

The Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network (CSLN) connects grassroots leaders from communities across Chicago to share resources, support each other’s work, collaborate, build a stronger collective voice, and nurture equitable and impactful relationships with policy makers. The network is part of the accelerate77 program, facilitated by The Institute of Cultural Affairs.